It was a cold morning here in the White Mountains. I got up early to take my dog out for a walk and when I went past my car I saw these designs in the frost. Quickly, I started shooting because before long the sunshine would erase these wonderful designs that nature had made.

Flicker Wood Pecker

Late in the day today I heard a woodpecker, so with camera in hand I followed the sound. Well two things happened; one I need snow shoes and two I needed to not fall

The this woodpecker is called a Flicker and is common for this area.

Picasso Test

In the town that I live in, there is a place called by the locals "the Climbing Rocks", which most locals have not even been to the Rocks. The Climbing Rocks use to be a well hidden secret amongst the rock and ice climbing groups. However, that has changed it has become internationally known for passionate climbers.
Recently, I have decided to do a series of pictures of the Climbing Rocks for the local coffee shop and antique store, "The Common Cafe and Antiques". This coffee shop is about a mile and a half down the road from the Climbing Rocks which a lot of hikers and climbers will stop at to warm up in the winter.

So, during a warm snap (35F) I went to the Climbing Rocks so that I could get as close as I could to the icy cliffs. I climbed up the hill right below these icy cliffs which was pretty tricky. Actually treacherous with out spike clamp ons. The snow was slick, and the hill just steep enough to make sliding a fact not just a possiblility. It took a while but I finally grappled my way up to the ledge below the ice climbers. I was not wearing a helmet (I am bad) and every time the climbers used their picks the ice came raining down on my head, ouch.

In this capture, I found what I think looks like a woman's face on the rocks. Much to my surprise!!

1205009Ice Sculpture002

1205009Ice Sculpture002,
originally uploaded by wings4me1.

The original image of ice structures in the soapstone bean pot, next image down is one of the many variations that I came up with.

1205009Ice Sculpture003

1205009Ice Sculpture003,
originally uploaded by wings4me1.

My boss left out a soapstone bean pot with water in it, outside in the freezing cold. When I got to the stoneyard early in the morning there was ice structures in the bean pot. Before emptying the pot of the ice I took a bunch of captures. Then when I got home I started to play with these images.

small

Eye Candy

soon I will have to start on my winter photography, fall comes and goes to fast. So sad to see brilliant colors go to muted death.

Sad

The images on the left are part of the Quincy Bog Series. I only have about a hundred or so images to process, and that is in my spare time.
Not to long ago a friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer, yesterday she had a biopsy done on her lymph nodes and the pathologist is pretty sure that the cancer has spread there too. I believe, next week she will be going in to surgery so I will be covering her at the kennel that she owns. Unfortunately my friend found the lump during the summer, but did not go to the doctors right away she waited until two weeks ago.No amount of urging could persuade her to do anything about it, until she went for her yearly check up. I am afraid that being in denial is not going in her favor.
I am telling this story because so many of us women do not take care of our selves. We need to take of our selves before we can take care of anyone else. We women need to do breast exams every month, and something is there, go get it checked out, the longer you wait, the worse it will be.
Please, please my fans get your breasts checked, and take good care of yourselves.

river.jpg

river.jpg,
originally uploaded by wings4me1.

I am always in awe of rushing water, and this was really rushing the day I took it.

Foggy White Mountains

Foggy White Mountains,
originally uploaded by wings4me1.

I love the way the mist hangs over the ridge seen from town. This scene reminds me of the Lord of the Rings. How about you?

More Images from Quincy Bog

Here are some more images from the Quincy Bog area. Such a beautiful place to roam in.

Board Walk At Quincy Bog

Board Walk At Quincy Bog,
originally uploaded by wings4me1.

This is one of the pathways at Quincy Bog. The trails are fairly well taken care by volunteers.

Red dragonfly Quincy Bog

Red dragonfly Quincy Bog,
originally uploaded by wings4me1.

Dragonflies are my favorite insect in this world. I love the way they flit from grass to flower. I just can't get enough of these happy little creatures.

Tree at Quincy Bog 01

Tree at Quincy Bog 01,
originally uploaded by wings4me1.

When I came across this tree at Quincy Bog, I was delighted by its shape. This is another example of nature making its own sculptures. Let me know what you think, good,bad or indifferent?

Quincy Bog, More Images For Bog Lovers

A much needed hike through the Quincy Bog area was needed for my state of mind. I am so fortunate to be so close to so many natural areas here in the White Mountains of NH.
On this day I was in search of birds,beavers,moose, or even a dragonfly to shoot (with camera of course).

I hiked to the ledges at Quincy Bog, but it was too dark for some really good pictures. The walk to the ledges was great, however a dog suddenly showed up in front of the path that Santos (my dog) and I were walking. Now, my dog is always on a leash but this other dog was not. So, we stopped, and I tried to coax the strange dog off the path. Finally the owner arrived with four more dogs, all of course were off leash, so now I had to deal with five off leash dogs running around trying to get close to my dog. Okay, maybe you should know that my dog is a cross between a German Shepherd and a Great Dane. Can we say very big. The owners started gathering up their dogs, putting leads on them and I am trying to keep my dog calm. Finally, everything is under control, and the ladies apologized. They went on their way, and I on my way to take more pictures and hopefully no more off leash dogs.
One this day, there were loons in the bog, however I left my telephoto lens in the car. So, I could watch them, and hope that they would get closer to where I was sitting, but they never did. I did see some red ribbon snakes, however I was too busy freaking out (huge phobia) to take a picture.
There are a lot of people that visit the Bog, birders, photographers,hikers,runners, and all are very nice, I have found.
I hope if you every have a chance to visit this wonderful natural area.

Pumpkin

My Store Front on Shutterfly.com

Click here to view these pictures larger

Hello everyone, I hope today has been a good day . In between rain storms here in lovely New Hampshire, I went out to take pictures.
Fall came so quick, and is going just as quickly in my opinion.
The colors are starting to fade, so I need to get out as much as I can to catch all of the foliage.
A little update on my moving situation. I am looking for a position of care taker for an elderly couple in exchange for room and board. This way I can still do my odd jobs, have a place to live, and follow my passion. Wish me luck!

Baptist Bible Study River Baker04

Baptist Bible Study River Baker04,
originally uploaded by wings4me1.

Here is a early,foggy morning in Rumney New Hampshire. This is one of favorite spots to drive by and yeah to stop at too

Near to Tears

Well, last night was a real bummer. My room-mate for the last 14 months has decided that she does n't want a room-mate any more. So now I am out looking for a place to live. This whole thing is really disappointing, I moved up here from CT on her request. When I moved up here, the economy tanked and finding a job has been tortuous at best. However, I found a couple of part time jobs ranging from housecleaning, working at a dog kennel, to working in a stone store. None of these jobs paid much, and I am struggling daily to pay rent, print pictures, etc. Unfortunately for everyone, my money did not stretch enough to cover everything adequately.I have been able to register my car, get insurance or pay any of my long term bills. Last month, I had a opportunity to hang my images in two different galleries which took all of my money to do. I thought my room-mate understood this, however that would not be the case.
So, the conclusion to this really interesting problem is that I might not be able to update this blog very often but will try. Please be patient and I am sure everything will work out just fine if not better then ever.
Namaste

The First Day Autumn 2009

A wonderful day today, the air a little humid but not quite as cool as yesterday. These are just some of the sites I saw as I walked my favorite spots.

A Time For Serenity

Last couple of weeks have been thrilling and frustrating. As I begin to make a new life for myself, I am thinking of serenity moments that balances the soul. In these pictures I am working on that feeling of serenity. I hope that you too can find serenity in these images.